Focus Group Meetings Presentation / Talking Points Introduction and Background The purpose of the Focus Group Meetings were to help assess St. Luke’s readiness and willingness to move forward with steps to address the perceived and identified needs of the Church, Assembly Hall, Parish House, and Rectory in the ongoing support of St. Luke’s mission tag line of “Joyfully seeking and serving Christ.” The Master Planning Committee, comprised of a group of St. Luke’s P arishioners, have engaged in preliminary thinking and praying about the physical needs of the Church, with a central theme being how best to improve the access by those with physical limitations to all levels and facilities of the Church, Assembly Hall, Parish House, and Rectory. In recent months this group has been working with the expert support of Parishioner, architect John Ginocchio, to produce tentative ideas for a series of specific physical improvements building on ideas and drawings first prepared after a Parish charrette-style concept development meeting by Montclair architect Paul Sionas several years ago. The goal of the presentation was to share the preliminary ideas that have been sketched out, but most importantly to hear the ideas, comments, and questions. Through these meetings a sense has been gained i f St. Luke’s is ready to move forward in unified support of a specific set of capital improvements and whether the improvements proposed are the ones that the Parish would support. Page 1 of 14
What you has been presented reflects the energy and enthusiasm as a result of the growth of the congregation over the last decade. The purpose of this presentation was to gather feedback and responses, both verbally during the Focus Group Meetings and from the completion of the Focus Group Questionnaire. St. Luke’s has engaged the consulting services of James D. Klote & Associates which is a stewardship consulting firm that specializes in congregations. St. Luke’s consultant has attended all of the Focus Group Meetings and has prepared a post analysis. Based on those meetings, a comprehensive report has/will be prepared and presented to the Vestry on October 27 th . The full report will be available to the congregation after the October 27 th Vestry meeting. A recommendation will be made to the Vestry as to whether or not to move forward with the next steps in addressing the perceived and identified capital needs of the Church. What has been presented are some ideas about the needs for additional capital improvements to the building - the needs of enhancing or renovating the existing space, and being good stewards of the missions that St. Luke’s supports now and in the future. It is believed that this work reflects St. Luke’s inquisitive love for God as this community joins in fellowship in seeking and serving Christ. St. Luke’s mission statement is “Joyfully seeking and serving Christ.” This is accomplished in six main kinds of work: 1) Worship, 2) Outreach, 3) Fellowship, 4) Spiritual Enrichment, 5) Children & Youth, and 6) Music & Arts. Page 2 of 14
Who will we be? St. Luke in Chapter 12 states : “From everyone to who much has given, much will be required.” The question that has arisen is 'what is Christ calling St. Luke ’ s to be'? A powerful idea that has emerged from the Master Planning process is the conc ept of St. Luke’s as a “cathedral in the community.” Historically, a cathedral was the center or the “ heart ” of a community, opening to and fulfilling many vital uses, not just a space for worship. A cathedral was the “hub” of the community. The idea of a “cathedral in the community” is the idea of a bustling hive of activity that draws people in, a community “heart” with its doors that are wide open to all for service, education, and music, a place to belong that is ultimately a sacred space Page 3 of 14
For St. Luke’s to more fulfill the idea of being a “cathedral in the community” there are five identified goals that can guide St. Luke’s into that vision: 1. Caring , how does St. Luke’s become a caring community that reflects the love of Christ and responds to Jesus’ call for us to love one another as he loved us? 2. Community itself, how does St. Luke’s grow the community to invite more people in, with new ideas, new reflections, and new expressions of who God is? 3. Commitment. How does St. Luke’s live into the commitment that reflects the gratitude of our abundance and reliance on God? 4. Children & Youth . How does St. Luke’s walk with children and youth, sharing stories with those that follow and raising up people with ethical approaches who understand the need for service to the world and focus on God. 5. Capital facilities - all of St. Luke’s buildings and grounds and what they do and can offer to parishioners and the broader community. Is St. Luke’s welcoming to the young and the aging, the disabled. Are the St . Luke’s parishioners being the best stewards of the capital facilities? The Vestry and the Master Planning Committee refers to these as the “5 C’s.” Page 4 of 14
In looking at the “Capital Facilities” three primary areas of need have been identified by the Master Planning Committee: 1. “Access to everything” for everyone. Think of the multiple levels in the Parish, all of the step ups and step downs, difficult restroom accessibility, the traffic flow from the Church to the Assembly Hall, the third floor Choir Room and Church School Rooms. Can people of all ages and all physical levels get to every space for all of the ministries, programs, and fellowship events? 2. “Welcome to all.” A sk yourself these questions, “Does this place feel welcoming to those who enter it for t he first time?” “What does a vis itor see when they worship at St. Luke’s?” “Can one easily get from one place to another?” “What is the path from the Church to the Assembly Hall for coffee hour?” “Can everyone hear and see all during the service?” “Do e St. Luke’s have good restroom facilities?” “Does St. Luke’s look new and updated or old and tired?” 3. “Assure the Future . ” St. Luke’s roots date back to 1846, with the corner stone being laid on this site in 1889. There is a long history and St. Luke’s owes it to those that came before to proudly preserve and maintain this place, to assure its future. In thinking of the buildings think in terms of the following questions: “Is St. Luke’s welcoming?” “Does St. Luke’s convey a sense of vitality?” “Does St. Luke’s support growing families, children, youth, and adults?” “Does St. Luke’s accommodate the aging or those with mobility challenges?” “Can someone who is disabled navigate St. Luke’s?” “If someone broke their leg and were on crutches would they be able to get around here?” “What about strollers, wheel chairs, or walker s?” “Is St. Luke’s b eing stewards of these amazing buildings with proper upkeep and maintenance?” In the work of the Master Planning Committee there was a lot of energy and excitement around universal access. Page 5 of 14
The real purpose of these meetings is to get a sense from the whole congregation about what is most important, if St. Luke’s is to move forward. A quote from Isaiah, Chapter 57: "Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.” First, Access to everything. Some of the Master Planning Group’s proposed thoughts and ideas are: Page 6 of 14
“Church to Assembly Hall accessibility for all” – access between these two areas without stairs or steps. “Access to all levels of the Parish House for all with the ease of an elevator.” “Improved access to the 2 nd Time Around Shop” directly off Union Street. “An accessible family restroom in the Church” – on the same level, without the need to go up or down stairs. Accessible for those who have mobility challenges and a changing table. “Improved Church lighting and sound systems” to improve and enhance the worship service experience. “Improved Rectory access and Rectory restrooms.” Accessibility without walking up steps and a restroom on the main level. “Parking lot restoration and Union Street sidewalk repair.” These are the high level ideas to improve the overall accessibility and flow of the Parish. An option for access from the Church to Assembly Hall. On the left is a picture of the current access - down the right isle of the Church, through a door, walk down four steps, through another door, up three additional steps, and then the hallway to the final door and entrance into the Assembly Hall. On the right is a sketch showing a way to eliminate all the stair steps with a gently inclined ramp. Page 7 of 14
A view of the possible entrance to the “connector” - a large and wide entrance from the side of the Church. A possible location of a three level elevator in the Parish House. On the Parish Office level, the left image, it could go at the end of the hall as one walks in the parking lot door, currently using a portion of the Toni’s Kitchen Office. For level two or the Assembly Hall level, the center image, the elevator would open just at the entrance between the Assembly Hall and the nursery. On level three or the Church School and Choir Room level, the right image, the elevator could open in the hallway between the balcony and the Church School hallway. This is would provide access to our Church School and our Choir Practice space. Page 8 of 14
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